They all looked on as Flix, crying out his niece’s name, rushed toward her and, on bended knee, looked up into her still anguished face.

“Lucy, are you all right?”

She nodded wordlessly as he took her hand, squeezed it.

“Lucy?”

“You came back, Uncle Felix.”

Her voice was so thin and reedy he scarcely recognized it.

“I promised I would, didn’t I?”

“I was so frightened. They took you away in an ambulance.”

“You saw that?”

She nodded again. “I was watching from the window.” Her hand tightened in his. “I saw what they did to you, injecting you in the neck.”

Flix gave Whitman a quick, meaningful glance.

Lucy’s eyes were dark with anxiety. “I want to know you’re okay, Uncle Felix.”

“I’m fine.” Flix smiled up into her face. “We’re both fine now we’re together.”

As Whitman had surmised, being reunited with her uncle had brought her out of herself, began to ease the effects of the dreadful trial she had been through. The less she focused on that now, the better. He and Charlie watched the reunion, each thinking the private thoughts that dwelled at the heart of their own complicated relationship.

“The flight crew can be released,” Whitman said. “There’s no need to quarantine them now.”

“They can’t fly the plane,” Flix pointed out, “with the radio out of commission.”

“I’m going to call my cleanup detail to deal with the situation here,” Cutler said. “I’ll give orders for these three to be released after they’ve been debriefed.” He turned to Whitman. “Okay? This is your op.”

“Fine by me,” Whitman replied. He nodded to Charlie who handed them back the phone batteries.

Cutler guided the crew out of the plane to his vehicle to await the appearance of his cleanup detail. “Well, fun as this has been,” he said when he returned moments later, “it’s time we got the girl to a hospital for a workup.” He clapped his hands like a cheerleader. “Let’s get going, gang.” He seemed almost jovial. “The girl looks like she’ll pass out at any moment.”

Whitman did not care for the idea of doctors poking and probing Lucy’s mind and body, but he felt it more politic to keep his concerns to himself, at least for the moment. When they got away from here, he would tell Cutler that Lucy needed time with Flix, not doctors.

They got Lucy out of the plane. Charlie climbed into the SUV first, then Whitman and Flix bundled Lucy into the Navigator’s capacious backseat next to Charlie. Flix slid in on the other side of his niece. Whitman got the shotgun up front, while Cutler fit himself behind the wheel. He took out his mobile, but frowned.

“For some reason, I’m not getting a signal here.” He got out of the SUV, began walking away, checking his mobile’s screen all the while.